The Joy of Vahnya: social worker home from vacation

Monday, May 24, 2010

social worker home from vacation

sighhhh......... our social worker is home from vacation today and can get our homestudy done.It feels so good to have her home and to know the homestudy will be done soon.and to know she is there if I need her, funny how I sorta felt lost while she was gone this lady I had never met before two months ago plays such a big part in our lives now. so nice to have her home!

3 comments:

Cathy Bachman said...: Yes it is nearly bizarre how total strangers are given the task of judging us. Since they are human beings I kind of find myself weirded out by this:) We now find ourselves waiting on the immigration agent to return from vacation to see if we get the 171h...from another total stranger who can only view us on paper! I like your shirt for Josiah! I have bought Marina so many clothes that were seasonal...and it is highly likely she won't fit in any of them...sigh. But we are nearing a good part of the journey where we might actually be moving the battle across the waters...am looking forward to getting this all behind us and just getting to Ukraine. My journey has been over a year now. Trust me, ya lose heart when it drags out for so long...and it is replaced with constant worry about what is going on with your kiddo. Anyhow off to work for me now, have a great memorial day...sorry you were feeling alone in cyberville blog-city. I think the RR group has grown to exponential numbers which is great, but it is easier if you pair up with a couple of folks along the same steps as you so you can find encouragement from each other. Prayers for your journey to be full of peace...not without strife but with the kind of peace that calms in any storm. Blessings, Cathy Bachman adopting Marina + 1.; May 28, 2010 at 5:09 AM
Kate said...: Bev got our addendum done and we should receive it today (she mailed it on Wednesday), so hopefully that means you're next! Praying for you!; May 28, 2010 at 8:59 AM
Katrina said...: Cathy yes it is sorta scary putting our lives into peoples hands that see us as only who we are on paper or in an email but we have to do whatever we have to do so we just do as each one tells us. I dont think people know how hard this is I never did but it is worth it just hard. Kate yes Bev is working on ours now she had to add a lot of things to it our agency wanted so it may take her some tame. maybe we will have ours done by next week.so happy yours is done and you are on to the next step to go get your girls.; May 28, 2010 at 2:03 PM

Post a Comment

time line

found Reece's rainbow 2/24/10
first saw Josiah's picture 2/25/10
committed to Josiah 3/10/10
home study visit 4/17/10
home study complete. 6/8/10
sent I-600A to USCIS 6/10/10
got fingerprint apt from USCIS 6/23/10
fingerprint apt for USCIS is 7/16/10
got I-171H 8/4/10
Application Dossier was submitted for MOE 8/23/10
Court Dossier all done and sent to agency 8/25/10
got our date for our 1st trip 10/26/10
1st visit with our boy 11/15/10
flew home from 1st trip 11/20/10
dossier was submitted to court 1/13/11
got our court date 2/1/11
Vahnya Josiah Nine is our son 3/1/11

Myths and Truths about Down syndrome

Myth: Down syndrome is a rare genetic disorder.

Truth: Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. One in every 733 live births is a child with Down syndrome, representing approximately 5,000 births per year in the United States alone. Today, more than 400,000 people in the United States have Down syndrome.

Myth: People with Down syndrome have a short life span.

Truth: Life expectancy for individuals with Down syndrome has increased dramatically in recent years, with the average life expectancy approaching that of peers without Down syndrome.

Myth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to older parents.

Truth: Most children with Down syndrome are born to women younger than 35 years old simply because younger women have more children. However, the incidence of births of children with Down syndrome increases with the age of the mother.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are severely “retarded.”

Truth: Most people with Down syndrome have IQs that fall in the mild to moderate range of intellectual disability (formerly known as “retardation”). Children with Down syndrome fully participate in public and private educational programs. Educators and researchers are still discovering the full educational potential of people with Down syndrome.

Myth: Most people with Down syndrome are institutionalized.

Truth: Today people with Down syndrome live at home with their families and are active participants in the educational, vocational, social, and recreational activities of the community. They are integrated into the regular education system and take part in sports, camping, music, art programs and all the other activities of their communities. People with Down syndrome are valued members of their families and their communities, contributing to society in a variety of ways.

Myth: Parents will not find community support in bringing up their child with Down syndrome.

Truth: In almost every community of the United States there are parent support groups and other community organizations directly involved in providing services to families of individuals with Down syndrome.

Myth: Children with Down syndrome must be placed in segregated special education programs.

Truth: Children with Down syndrome have been included in regular academic classrooms in schools across the country. In some instances they are integrated into specific courses, while in other situations students are fully included in the regular classroom for all subjects. The current trend in education is for full inclusion in the social and educational life of the community. Increasingly, individuals with Down syndrome graduate from high school with regular diplomas, participate in post-secondary academic and college experiences and, in some cases, receive college degrees.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unemployable.

Truth: Businesses are seeking young adults with Down syndrome for a variety of positions. They are being employed in small- and medium-sized offices: by banks, corporations, nursing homes, hotels and restaurants. They work in the music and entertainment industry, in clerical positions, childcare, the sports field and in the computer industry. People with Down syndrome bring to their jobs enthusiasm, reliability and dedication.

Myth: People with Down syndrome are always happy.

Truth: People with Down syndrome have feelings just like everyone else in the population. They experience the full range of emotions. They respond to positive expressions of friendship and they are hurt and upset by inconsiderate behavior.

Myth: Adults with Down syndrome are unable to form close interpersonal relationships leading to marriage.

Truth: People with Down syndrome date, socialize, form ongoing relationships and marry.

Myth: Down syndrome can never be cured.

Truth: Research on Down syndrome is making great strides in identifying the genes on chromosome 21 that cause the characteristics of Down syndrome. Scientists now feel strongly that it will be possible to improve, correct or prevent many of the problems associated with Down syndrome in the future.

Pages

Monday, May 24, 2010

social worker home from vacation

3 comments:

so sweet

contact me

Followers

time in Russia

Vahnya Josiah when an Infant

Vahnya Josiah at 2 years old

Vahnya Josiah at 3 years old

Vahnya Josiah our 1st visit 11/15/10

Vahnya Josiah 2nd visit Feb 2011

Vahnya Josiah gotcha day! 3-21-11

Vahnya Josiah HOME!

Vahnya Joaiah home 4 months

4 years 3 months

Our Family.

Or you can Make a Tax-Deductible Contribution thru Reece's Rainbow

Our fundraising thermometer

Puzzle Pieces for Josiah

sand dollars

iPod Touch Giveaway

Blog Archive

Contributors

time line

My Blog List

Josiah at 2 years and 4 months old

Background

Myths and Truths about Down syndrome